Many high-tech companies utilize white papers as offers in lead generation campaigns. Not all white papers are created equal, however. Many are simply lengthy technical descriptions of the company's product. This type of document may serve a legitimate function as a sales tool -- communicating details that would be awkward in a product brochure, but it makes for a poor offer.

The ideal white paper is one that delivers information on how to solve a problem. It may or may not even mention your product, but that's not critical. As offers, white papers work well precisely because prospects perceive them not as selling pieces, but rather information of value that will help them solve a problem (never mind that coincidentally it's the same problem your product solves also.)

Create your white paper with the objective of attracting the type of people most likely to need your product. For example, a company that markets web design software could offer a white paper called "10 Steps to Creating Your First Web Site." Inevitably, some of the content might steer the reader in the direction of the company's product, but more importantly, the offer will attract prospects likely to have a need that the product can solve.